UNESCO recognises Kumbh Mela as India’s cultural heritage

UNESCO recognises Kumbh Mela as India’s cultural heritage

The Hindu celebration of Kumbh Mela has been recognized by UNESCO as India’s cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage under UNESCO has inscribed ´KumbhMela´ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 12th session being held at Jeju, South Korea from 4-9 December. As of now only celebrations celebrated in Botswana, Colombia, Venezuela, Mongolia, Morocco, Turkey and UAE are in the list. But now KumbhMela is inscripted in the list. This inscription is the third in two years following the inscriptions of ´Yoga´ and ´Nouroz´ in December.

The Committee observed that ´KumbhMela´ is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth. The festival, held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, represents a syncretic set of rituals related to worship and ritual cleansing in holy rivers in India.

“The element is compatible with existing international human rights instruments since people from all walks of life, without any discrimination participate in the festival with equal fervor. As a religious festival, the tolerance and inclusiveness that KumbhMela demonstrates are especially valuable for the contemporary world,” the MEA note commented.

During Kumbh Mela, millions of Hindus come to the river and celebrate. Only the Kumbh Mela can be attributed to the huge amount of devotees in the world. In this background Kumbh Mela has got UNESCO recognition. The UNESCO member countries will now provide support for this great event and take care of its conservation.